Espied
by veasley-veasley-krum
Summary: “But...” Harry stuttered. “But how do you know? Are you a witch?” Much to Harry's alarm, she threw her head back and laughed. “Oh Harry. You wizards don't give --what is it that you call us-- us muggles enough credit. But don't worry, I wont tell a soul.”
1. Chapter 1

A.N- I'm not planning any romance, but I will if you want me to :)

A.N- This story was reposted because i wanted to change the name :D Previously " And Our Hero Is Exposed..."

Summary: "But..." Harry stuttered. "But how do you know? Are you a witch?"Much to Harry's alarm, she threw her head back and laughed. "Oh Harry. You _wizards_ don't give --what is it that you call us-- us _muggles_ enough credit. But don't worry, I wont tell a soul."

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Rapier wouldn't have died.

* * *

Summer, as it was with any summer, was not received warmly by Harry Potter. But, this year, it was even more so. Apparently, from what Harry could extrapolate from his car ride home, punctuated almost entirely by Uncle Vernon's bellowing, the neighbors had found out about Harry and how he was treated They had threatened to call the police, but Vernon had put a stop to it. In short, the Petersons were half way around the world from Privet Drive, and Harry would have to deal with whatever consequences Mr. Dursley had dreamt up, and dubbed appropriate for endangering the normality of the Dursleys' lives.

After what seemed to Harry like an eternity, the car rolled into the driveway of Number 4 Privet Drive. Mr. Dursley turned around, his face painted in quite unusual shades of red and purple.

In a dangerously low voice, he whispered, "To your room boy, and don't you dare try to come out until I figure out what to do with you." With that, he slammed the car door shut, leaving Harry to think.

Harry was quite used to being treated in a malaise fashion on a day-to-day basis, so he did not think much of his Uncle's latest bout of vocal Olympics. However, upon hearing a familiar rustle of feathers, he realized that he could not expect his winged companion to endure his prison sentence along with him. After the initial pangs of not wanting to let Hedwig go, Harry stroked her soft feathers and unlocked her cage.

"Off you go now, I can't expect you to stay cooped up in in my room with me all summer. Stay at Ron's for a bit, won't you? Look after Pig. You'll have a blast."

With an affectionate nip from her beak she was gone; and Harry felt lonelier than ever. With a heaving sigh, Harry dragged his trunk and Hedwig's now empty cage into the Dursley's impeccable home, the suburban epitome of cruelty and confinement that he so loathed.


	2. Chapter 2

A.N-Hi! Thanks for reading. I have 10 chapters written, so if you want to read more, review :D

IMPORTANT- I know the timeline stuff doesn't match, but I truly couldn't find any other way to fit it in. if you see anything, please review :)

Disclaimer: We still don't own the Harry Potter series...

A joint collaboration between me and happymoose101...

* * *

_One week into summer vacation_

..........Sleep.

After 7 cycles of this metonymy of monotony, all the charms of Hogwarts had worn off, and Harry fell into a slight depression (mostly brought on by lethargy and a severe lack of mental exercise). Oh, how he missed Hogwarts. He missed the fragrant and seemingly never ending meals, he missed the adrenaline rush that charged through his veins when he flew through the air with his red and gold uniform billowing behind him. Most of all, he missed the company. Surely Ron and Hermione would have realized something was wrong, he knew this for a fact; he had watched many-an owl huff angrily at his barred windows. But, before he could start doubting his friends, a rather large honk interrupted his daydreams. Startled, he looked outside towards the usually manicured lawn belonging to Number 6 Privet Drive. After the Petersons had moved out, the yard with its too long grass and too often weeds was a stark contrast from the rest of the street. He watched as burly men (who he assumed were movers) carried in boxes and furniture, under the direction of a girl about his age.

This was certainly a mild point of interest for Harry, for he had been brought up in the same neighborhood, on the same street, filled with busybodies who were at the same time ignorami. This was certainly a change of scenery.

Of course the girl was a pretty little thing, but her features were lost in translation to Harry, and his throat constricted painfully at the sudden rush of memory, the faint flowery scent of Ginny, _his_ Ginny. Although there wasn't anything left of their relationship but the pieces that had flown away with Fawkes at Dumbledore's tribute (the constriction in Harry's throat increased- he thought he might choke), she was still, unchangeably, eternally, _his. _But this girl, presumably his new neighbor, there was something comforting about watching her, in the same way it comforted Harry to think of Fred and George's escapades with their Skiving Snackboxes (most noticeably the Flatulent Fudgies), In a way, she was almost a fond memory, although he had just seen her, she made him smile slightly. That is, until _she_ saw _him. _Then she proved to be a source of alarm for the young wizard, for the girl's eyes sparkled with more cunning than Hermione possessed on all matters academic. Harry ducked with a Seeker's instinct, albeit quite sheepishly, but not before he saw his neighbor wave cheerfully at him.

* * *

Harry was quite startled when his Uncle rapped on the door. "You're eating lunch downstairs boy. We need to talk." he yelled.

In his haste, Harry tripped over a chair, and went sprawling out his door. Much to his relief, his Uncle was already downstairs, and did not witness this display of clumsiness.

Once downstairs, Harry listened as Dudley began raving about something or another.

"Yeah mum" Dudley said, with his mouth full. " I think she likes me. She waved at me today."

Aunt Petunia smiled at her. "Well of course, Diddy-darling. Why wouldn't she like a big strong man like you?" Harry had to repress a snort.

"What's so funny Potter?" Dudley grunted, turning away from his mother.

_Now is not the time to pick a fight._ Harry thought. "Nothing Dudley." Much to his relief, the doorbell rang.

"_Upstairs._" Uncle Vernon hissed.

"Am I supposed to pretend I don't exist?" exclaimed Harry, with mild indignation and disgust. This was a tad beyond normal Dursley isolationism procedures, as there was no expected company.

"NOW."

Harry trudged up the stairs, but remained in earshot and eyeshot.

Petunia put on her best smile and opened the door. "Well hello there!" she said, and, much to Harry's surprise, she only seemed partly fraudulent. He could not see nor hear because Dudley was blocking the door, serving as both a vision and sound barrier. Harry clicked his tongue in impatience and couldn't help but roll his eyes when Dudley walked away with a plate of cookies. By now, Aunt Petunia's manners had kicked in, and he stared as his neighbor walked in. She took in the room with calculating eyes, so much so that Harry was quite frightened for a moment.

But, she turned her attention back to Aunt Petunia. "You have such a lovely home, Mrs. Dursley, very clean. Not many people manage to keep a house as orderly as you do." Again, Harry was reminded of Ginny, but he was also slightly reminded of Tom Riddle's ability to convince people to trust them through flattery.

Harry watched the scene play out perfectly beneath him. She was extremely polite to everyone, complimented Aunt Petunia on everything, acted like meeting Uncle Vernon was some great honor, and even managed to look bashful when she was introduced to Dudley. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing,

"Do you not have another child?" she asked, a seemingly innocent question.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon visibly stiffened. "No, we do not."

The girl's face scrunched up in concern for a moment. "Of course not. You see, I live with my grandmother, and she claims she saw another boy here. One with red hair. But of course, she is a bit senile. Please forgive my rudeness."

Dudley walked towards her, about to say something. "Oh,' she cried. " look at the time. I'm sorry I kept you from eating. I must go. Thank you." And just like that, she was gone.

* * *

Harry knew that she knew she had saved his hide by saying a boy with _red_ hair, instead of black. He could only wonder why. Vernon seemed to forget his ill temper from earlier in the day, and the rest of lunch was filled with talk of how nice the girl was, and how she would be a perfect match for Dudley.

How'd it go? Let me know.

Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N- Thank you to and all the people who put us on Story Alert :)

And where it says sleep last chapter. It was cut off. It said, ".sleep" seven times :(

Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions. (AKA- REVIEWWWWWWW)

Disclaimer: We most certainly don't own the Harry Potter series because Harry wouldn't have mauled an innocent bathroom crier.

* * *

"BOY!!!!"

Harry awoke with a snort. _"but we were just about to have Treacle Tart..."_he thought sadly, as he was ripped away from his feast at Hogwarts and found himself on Dudley's old bed. He looked over at his alarm clock and saw, much to his near despair, that it was only eleven past one, meaning that there should have been no such circumstance bringing about the premature death of his tantalizing dream. Vernon's yelling once again penetrated through the warm summer air, amplified by the haziness and humidity. Harry sighed and dragged himself out of bed. It was better to get it over and done with, before foghorn number three shot him into insomnia.

"Explain."

Harry would have very much liked to "explain". He would have explained his opinion on the fact that his uncle was a raving mad despot, and one with bad breath at that. However, Harry wasn't looking forward to losing his hearing before he was twenty, so, trying very hard to keep the irritation out of his voice, he asked-

"Explain _what_?"

But this only seemed to make Vernon more livid. Going against shouting a third time, Harry's Uncle lowered his voice to an enraged hiss.

" Your Aunt and I have always given you everything. The roof over your head, the clothes on your back, the food you eat--"

_What little food I eat._ Harry thought, clenching his emaciated jaw.

"And now you've become a _thief?_"

"But I haven't done anything wrong_**!"**_ Harry yelled indignantly. _A thief?_ This was certainly a new Dursley tactic at making him feel enraged.

"Don't lie to me boy. I left my wallet on the counter after dinner, and suddenly, I'm out of money?" Vernon asked, clearly a rhetorical question. Harry realized where this was going. He felt uncharacteristically irate, his anger fueled by sleep deprivation. His lip curled.

"Ask your pig of a son!"

Vernon was now shaking with rage. "That's it boy. To your room. And don't expect to come out."

Harry had already been confined to his room for the entire summer, but wisely chose not to mention this. Harry spun on his heel and stomped upstairs, not caring whether he woke up Aunt Petunia or Diddy-kins.

Slouched in his chair, he stared moodily through the bars of his window. _How dare they! How dare they even think that I would take any of their dirty money. And what would I do with it? It's not as if I can go to the store and buy something with it,_

Harry was engrossed in his thoughts. He had debated over making a scene again and leaving on the Knight Bus, but with Dumbledore gone, he didn't always feel too safe. The owl hurtling enthusiastically towards him did much to heighten his spirits, despite the assured futility of its mission. _They haven't forgot about me,_ he thought.

But something was not quite right. Much to his alarm, he watched as the owl hesitantly took a turn away from Harry's window.

"What..." Harry thought, quite confused. Upon further investigation, he watched as the owl flew straight to his left, directed at _number 6, _Privet Drive. But surely... surely the owl would know by now where he lived.

_"Its the one with the bars, you moron!"_ he yelled feebly at the retreating back of the owl, but it was too late. Harry craned his neck and looked on in horror as an arm reached out of one of the windows next door, and the owl, with a letter attached to its ankle, flew into the upstairs bedroom. The hand retreated along with it. Heart racing, Harry began drumming his fingers on the windowsill.

Perhaps like all great minds, Harry began muttering frantically to himself (granted there was no one around)."There's no way that this is happening. I'm just going mental, yeah, that's it. I'm imagining the whole thing..." And Harry had almost convinced himself, that is until he saw the same little owl fly out the same upstairs window, still with a letter bound to its ankle. There was a faint thud as the window next door was gently slammed shut.

* * *

"Did you fall out of heaven?....err....because you look like you just fell out of heaven."

The pavement was scorching and the sun was shining full force on Privet Drive. Dudley was determined to start a summer fling.

"Er...thank you?"

Even Dudley could comprehend that the pick-up line intended to make his neighbor fall head over heels for him had landed flat on its back. He scrunched up his face, searching for something better to say, until enlightenment struck.

"OH!" he exclaimed loudly. " See, see, you _do_ look as if you've fallen out of heaven, because....because, d'you see that scab on your elbow right there? You must have gotten that when you fell." Dudley felt that this was an adequate save for what could have been a disaster. He felt rather accomplished. He watched the female (whom he was _sure_ found him appealing) struggle to respond to him smoothly.

"Thank You very, very much, er - what was your name again?- Dudley!"

Dudley, feeling very pleased with himself, decided to gratify the poor thing who had tried so hard.

"Why you're very welcome, Devon" Dudley said smoothly. He was about to coyly offer Devon a share in his secret stash of cigars (he had purchased them the previous night with the money he had ingeniously found in his father's wallet) when something even better happened.

"Er, _Dudley_, I know that what I'm about to ask you may seem rude, but would you be kind enough to let me inside your home? I'm feeling a bit faint, and the air conditioning at my house isn't working."

Dudley was delighted that this girl was putting the moves on him. _She wants me_, thought Dudley proudly. His parents were not home, and perhaps he could show her his new set of weights. So, making sure to let Devon in first, Dudley opened the door to his impeccable, air-conditioned home.

* * *

Harry's eyes snapped open as he heard footsteps. Someone far more graceful than Dudley was ascending the staircase.

Much to Harry's alarm, it seemed as if Dudley were talking to a member of the opposite gender. And she was no Aunt Petunia.

* * *

_Finally. _Devon thought. She knew Dudley didn't mean any real harm, but his incessant, self-oriented chatter was far beyond what she could handle. The only thing that made him stop talking was the fact that she said she had to go to the bathroom.

She had clasped the letter she had received from the bitty owl in her hand. It had been easy enough to lure the thing to her window. Just a bit of food. But _she'd_ only wanted to _see_ the owl. It wasn't _her_ fault a letter had just _happened_ to be attached to it. She had just done her job as a neighbor by writing a letter back saying she would forward the message. She also asked if making an owl so small fly so often with a letter was animal cruelty.

Tentatively, she began opening each door.

* * *

Harry's eyes widened in shock. He could hear someone opening the doors, and he held his breath. He wasn't sure if he wanted this person to know he was there, but definitely wanted the element of surprise behind him if he were found. But, of course, Uncle Vernon had locked his door.

Two soft knocks brought him out of his reverie.

_"Excuse me."_ he heard a feminine voice say quietly. Still not sure what to do, he remained silent.

He then heard a soft hiss. "_Okay. I had to spend a half an hour with Dudley to deliver this letter to a certain 'Harry', and I know you're in there. This is your neighbor. Open the door or I'll get my sledgehammer."_

"_It's locked." _he replied. "I can't."

Heart pounding, he watched as she slipped two letters under the door, and listened as her footsteps ran towards Dudley's calls.

* * *

There you have it. Thanks for reading, and be sure to review!


	4. Chapter 4

A.N) Hey everybody. I'm so sorry I haven't updated recently. But I've been working on it. I've got a lot of final exams coming up, so its been weird. School ends officially during the third week of June, but I hope I can get something up before then. Thanks so much for the support, and I'll be sure to update whenever I can.

Also, if you're new to this story, review and let me know how you liked it.

Thanks for reading.

Veasley~veasley~krum


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